Manhattan Beach Community Group Opposes Reduction Of Alternate Side Parking

We weren’t able to make it to Manhattan Beach Community Group’s March meeting this week because of a scheduling conflict, but the group posted a roundup of the meeting on its website. The update notes that the group voted to oppose a proposal to reduce alternate side parking hours in the community that would have made parking more available.

They wrote:

The MBCG overwhelmingly rejected the proposal to change the hours and days of alternate side parking in Manhattan Beach. A motion had been made at a recent Community Board 15 Meeting to cut the days and hours. Nearly everyone felt this was not the solution to help our neighbors who live near the College.

The proposal came about during Community Board 15’s January meeting, when Manhattan Beach Neighborhood Association President Dr. Alan Ditchek – a member of Community Board 15’s executive board – requested a motion to reduce the hours. However, Ditchek later rescinded the motion, according to Community Board 15 Chairperson Theresa Scavo, and both groups are in agreement that the increased parking availability is not worth trading off clean streets.

This is such BS. The streets will not get any dirtier if the regulations were changed in Manhattan Beach and there is much to be gained such as more parking for Kingsborough students and a likely reduction is speeding by students racing to find a parking space.

Most of the City now has regulations only for 90 minutes on each side of the street and those neighborhoods, many of them with greater residential density such as Park Slope, are not complaining of dirty streets.

When Ditchik asked the question how to change the regulations, Scavo responded that all that was needed was a letter from two or three people to the Board making the request and it would be passed on to the DOS. The DOS would then decide if MB met the requirements, that is if the streets were currently clean enough to warrant the change and make the final decision.

The fact that the motion was rescinded just proves that the Manhattan Beach community is elitist concerned only about their own selfish interests and not concerned with needs of beachgoers, visitors or students, and I say that as a resident. Remember the proposal last year to ban barbecuing in the park?

Last month the MBCG posted on its website an old proposal for residential permit parking as if the current summer weekend parking ban is not enough. Now you know how they really think about outsiders who they believe have no business in their exclusive enclave despite their hypocritic statements that they care about residents and visitors alike. Don’t forget the MBCG fought the building of Kingsborough Community College tooth and nail which today is a resource to all, and only accepted it when the City threatened to build low income housing instead. They chose the lesser of two evils.

nolastname

So why should their streets not get dirtier? Welcome to my world. The rest of Sheepshead Bay without street signs does not have a cleaning person to sweep up outside. Alternates like the rest of the area has to deal with would be assking too much.

BrooklynBus

Why should they? They are clean now. A reduction in cleaning will not make a difference. If they are worried about the summertime when there are more visitors, they could request extra baskets at key locations.

Parts of Sheepshead Bay has no alternate signs at all and the streets are clean. Dirtier streets is just an excuse to discourage visitors to the area.

nolastname

Oh no, not unsightly trash cans. The streets without alternates are cleaner because residence sweep. Sorry to say but most of the blocks with alternates has spoiled people who do not think it necessary to sweep. So the other 6 days a week it stays messy.

BrooklynBus

So would you favor no alternate side at all?

nolastname

Only if the people on the block agree to it. If it were put into effect sanitation would have to start ticketing property owners. Some blocks it just will not work, reason being, many people do not know what a freaking broom is used for. Being this is the case we need alternates.

One of the snobbiest neighborhoods I’ve ever known, without much to be snobby about. Takes more than money to have class, and their class has always been at the low end of the spectrum. We poor people of the bay should Occupy Manhattan Beach.